There is no doubt that the DevOps movement has gone mainstream. When even IBM and HP are dedicating sites to it there is no longer any question. If we were to place it on the Gartner Hype Cycle even the most devoted proponents would have to admit that it’s rapidly approaching the “Peak of Inflated Expectations”. What does this mean for you as a CIO? Should you steer clear of the movement entirely until things calm down a bit? Not at all. Should you be cautious in your approach to “implementing” DevOps though? Absolutely.

With vendors piling into an area that remains poorly defined the risk of making a misstep on strategy is high. It cannot be ignored though, the rewards in IT efficiency and quality improvements of well implemented DevOps initiatives are high. In a world of diminishing margins any opportunity for competitive advantage must be explored.

Nascent as the movement may still be, especially for the Enterprise, some clear lessons have already emerged. Understanding these before beginning may be the difference between success and failure for your DevOps initiative and, ultimately, your entire IT strategy.